Welt guide for shoe sewing machines



June 22, 1954 RICE I WELT GUIDE FOR SHOE SEWING MACHINES Filed April 14, 1950 FIG. 2, f5

INVENTORI JAMES D. RICE Q ATTORNEYS.-

Patented June 22, 1954 WELT GUIDE FOR SHOE SEWING MACHINES James D. Rice, Nashville, Tenn., assignor to General Shoe Corporation, Nashville, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Application April 14, 1950, Serial No. 155,901

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the manufacture of shoes, and particularly to an apparatus for feeding a strip of platform cover material, concurrently with other shoe parts, to a sewing machine.

In the so-called slip-lasting process of shoe manufacture, where a platform-type midsole is employed, it is customary to stitch a so-called platform cover strip (usually being a strip of material comparable to that from which theupper is made, but adapted to be wrapped around the edges of the platform) either to the upper or to the insole (or sock liner) or both. The stitch line connectin the platform cover strip to the other shoe parts is generally located adjacent the top surface of the midsole or platform, in the finished shoe, and preferably appears as an inseam.

Because of the curvature of the sole piece (whether an insole or sock liner) and the curvature of the upper, the process of stitching the several parts together with a cover piece or pieces has presented considerable difficulty in the art. The patent to Miner, No. 2,416,767, represents one attempt at the solution of this probelm. In said Miner patent, the platform cover strip is fed to the sewing machine above the upper and insole, so that the operator cannot see the location of the line of stitching at the bottom surface of the sole member, which is the most important 10- cation in the manufacture of shoes of this sort.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a device for more convenient feeding, aligning and sewing the three primary parts of a platform shoe without first securing or obscuring two of these pieces.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for feeding cover strip to a sewing machine wherein the aligning mechanism may be quickly and easily released.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing a conventional post-type sewing machine equipped with the cover strip-feeding device of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a. plan view of the cover strip-feeding device;

Figure 3 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an actuating lever.

In accordance with the present invention, generally stated, the conventional sewing machine is equipped with an attachment for feeding cover piece or pieces from beneath other layers of shoe material to which the cover pieces are to be stitched. The attachment provides a guide to properly align the cover strip in definite position with reference to the needle of the sewin machine, and deliver it thereto in fixed relation, so that the attention of the operator may be devoted to maintaining the alignment of other unattached parts, which are guided and fully exposed to view from above. The invention further contemplates the arrangement of the device for maintaining the cover strip in alignment in such manner that the aligning forces may be quickly released when, in the course of a stitching operation, such becomes necessary, and without necessarily interrupting the operation of the machine, as well as for quickly releasing the strip when the work is removed fromv the machine.

Referring now to the drawings for an il1ustrative embodiment of the invention, the stripguiding attachment is shown as applied to a conventional sewing machine having a needle I reciprocating from above, a pressure wheel 2 located above the work, and a feeder 3 mounted in a post 4 below the work. In the embodiment illustrated, the work being operated upon consists of three plies, namely, a sock liner or insole 5, an upper part 6, and a strip of platform cover material I. The latter is generally furnished in pieces, whose width and shape depends upon the thickness of the platform or midsole to be edge-covered. Such strips may have either rectilinear or irregular margins.

The attachment of the present invention comprises a base-plate 8 adapted to be connected, as by screws 9, to the post 4. Connected to the top of the plate 8 is a further plate having a table portion l0 and an upwardly extending abutment portion H, which latter defines a shoulder, against which the work is aligned in edge engagement. The table portion I6 is recessed, as at I2, so that it may straddle the feeder 3. As shown in the drawings, the table portion IQ extends laterally at both sides from plate 8 and is provided with a flange l3, overlying the same in spaced relation thereto. An aperture I 4 is provided in the table I 0 to accommodate a spring-- pressed roller l5, so that the roller may engage the lower surface of flange I3. The roller I5 is mounted through a shaft 16' upon a lever H, which in turn. is pivoted at It to ears [9, which depend from the lower surface of table It].

The arrangement is preferably such that the plane of rotation of the roller l5 converges with the plane of flange Ii toward the needle 3. Accordingly, as the strip is drawn by feeder 3 through the space between table in and flange E3, the roller l5 both slides and rolls upon the material and urges it into edge-engagement with flange ll.

In the embodiment shown, the flange H extends both above and below flange I3, so as to define, above flange 3, a shoulder or upper edgeguide for aligning the parts 5 and/or 6, and to define, below the flange 13, a shoulder or lower edge-guide for aligning the strip 1, both guides being ahead of the feeder.

The lever ll is biased in the clockwise direction by a spring 23 mounted upon a pin i! hav ing a nut 22 for varying theficornpression of the spring 20.

A particular feature of the present invention involvesthe provision of an extension 23 upon the lever El and so arranged that the extension is readily accessible by an operator during the course of the stitching operation. As shown, the extension 23, which constitutes the handle of the lever, extends'substantially outwardly beyond the table it, so that the operator can readily reach it under any and all circumstances.

in the operation of the device, the cover strip l is inserted in the space between table it! and ilange 3, with the roller :5 depressed (i. e., by moving the lever H in the counterclockwise direction). This is readily ac'complishable, since the space between the table iii and the flange i3 is open at the front, as shown at 2:3 in Figure 3. When the strip is in position, the handle 2-3 is released, so that the spring'ZU'urges the roller i5 into engagement with the strip, and the latter into engagement with the lower surface of flange it. The other layers to be stitched are then manually and visually aligned in appropriate relation as they approach the needle 5 by having their edges in engagement with the upper portions of the shoulder defined by flange ii. The correlation of upper and lower edge guides then brings all three pieces into register. As the machine operates, the feeder 3' acts directly upon the strip l and draws it across roller i5 which, due to the angle at which it sets, urges the strip toward shoulder H, as well as toward flange l3. The hands of the operator guide the plies 5 and 6 into proper stitching relation, while the strip is automatically guided by the device above described. The handle portion 23 of the lever is accessible at all times to operation by a finger of the operator despite the fact that the layers 5 and ii may be gripped between the thumb and fore- ;Inger of the same hand.

From the foregoing description those skilled in the art should readily understand the construction and operation of the invention and realize that it accomplishes its objects. While one complete embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is apparent that many modifications and variations will present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An attachment for a shoe sewing machine having an upper needle and a lower feeder, the attachment comprising a base plate constructed for vertical support alongside of the feeder, a table member carried at the top of the base plate in generally horizontal overhanging relationship, said table member projecting forwardly toward and being recessed to straddle the feeder, a flange member extending in overlying relationship with the table but with its forward edge terminating short of the forward part of said table, a vertical edge-guiding wall projecting from one side of said overlying flange above and below said flange, said edge-guiding wall projecting beyond the forward edge of said overlying flange to guide material above and below said flange up to said needle, a lever centrally pivoted upon the lower rear end of said table to project rearwardly therefrom for convenient manipulation, the forward part of the lever carrying a pressure wheel in converging relationship with the edge-guiding wall adjacent said base plate and beneath the overlying flange, said wheel being mounted with its axis at an acute angle to the edge-guide said table being apertured to admit the pressure wheel, anda spring adjustably compressed between the forward end of the lever and the lower part of the base plate.

2. In combination with a sewing machine having an upper needle and a lower feeder, a base plate mounted vertically alongside of the feeder, a table member carried at the top of the base plate in generally horizontal overhanging relationship, said table member projecting forwardly toward and straddling the feeder, a flange member extending in overlying relationship with the table but with its forward edge terminating short of the forward part of said table, a vertical edgeguiding wall projecting from one side of said overlying flange above and below said flange, said edge-guiding wall projecting beyond the forward edge of said overlying flange to guide material above and below said flange up to said needle, a lever centrally pivoted upon the lower rear end of said table to project rearwardly therefrom for convenient manipulation, the forward part of the lever carrying a pressure wheel in converging relationship with the edge-guiding wall adjacent said base plate and beneath the overlying flange, said wheel being mounted with its at an. acute angle to the edge guide said table being apertured to admit the pressure wheel, and a spring adjustably compressed between the forward end of the lever and the lower part of the base plate.

3. In combination with a sewing machine having a needle-and a work feeder, a generally hori zontal partition mounted on the machine ahead of the feeder in position for aligning three unattached pieces for a platform shoe as they approach the feeder, saidpartition having a lower edge-guide for a cover piece fed beneath the partition, a quick-release pressure wheel mounted on the machine under and biased toward the partition, the pressure wheel being in convergent relationship and its axis being at an acute angle with said lower edge-guide to' continuously crowd the cover piece against said lower edgeguide as it approaches the feeder, and an upper edge-guide mounted on the machine and pro jecting above the partition ahead of the feeder to facilitate visual manual alignment of a shoe upper and sole piece with one another as they approach the feeder, said upper and lower edgeguides being vertically aligned thereby to bring the three pieces into register as they enter the feeder.

4. In combination with a sewing machine having a needle and a work feeder, a table mounted on the machine ahead of the feeder in position for aligning three unattached pieces for a platform shoe as they approach the feeder, a generally horizontal partition mounted on said table in spaced relationship thereabove, a lower edgeguide supported at one side of the table beneath said partition to guide a cover-piece fed beneath the partition, a quick-release pressure wheel pro jecting through the table and biased toward said partition, the pressure wheel being in convergent relationship with and its axis being at an acute angle with said lower edge-guide to continuously crowd the cover-piece against said lower edgeguide as it approaches the feeder, and an upper edge-guide supported on the same side of the table and projecting above the partition to facilitate visual manual alignment of a shoe upper and sole piece with one another as they approach the feeder, said upper and lower edge-guides being vertically aligned, thereby to bring the three pieces into register as they enter the feeder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 51,547 Brown Dec. 19, 1865 1,158,434 Bolton Nov. 2, 1915 2,416,767 Miner Mar. 4, 1947 2,433,053 Knott Dec. 23, 1947 2,446,343 Reaser Aug, 3, 1948 

